Could Rickshaws Take Off in Britain?
They have been used in Asian countries for years but could rickshaws be a viable option on Britain’s streets. After all, traffic and pollution are getting worse all the time. People powered transport could certainly get people around a city centre effectively. Transport for London, through the Public Carriage Office, has indicated that it intends to license pedicabs, so that they can ply for hire in the streets of the capital. However, the Transport Research Laboratory has warned that they “provide little or no protection in the event of almost any accident”. The problem is that our city centres in Britain are not automobile traffic free. So there is the danger of having flimsy transport going up against buses, trucks and taxi cabs. In an ideal world traffic would be restricted outwith the city centres and public and pedal transport could effectively take over. This would not go down well with taxi firms however. Many in the taxi trade are deeply concerned to see pedal-powered taxis on
